I have never been a real morning person. When I was in school, I literally had to drag my body out of bed to make it to the coffee shop, and then on to class where I would start my day in a sort of fog. In my adult life, I have responsibilities that require me to be up earlier; especially during the week, and I am "learning" to love it, albeit sometimes a little begrudgingly. For the past week, I rolled out of bed with a few new pratices to center my mind before the chaos of the day.

First, I made an agreement with myself to avoid looking at my phone and e mail for the first hour. In this way, I can keep the peace in my head, without jolting myself into the world too quickly. I have to say that this very simple commitment to my own sanity has really paid off. It's almost like I have bought myself a window of peace in the day, where I can preserve a small bit of peace to enjoy my breakfast and other human routines without distraction.

I started beginning my day with a glass of water. Before I eat anything or brew coffee, I simply commit to drinking one glass of water. Why is this important? Sure, it helps me to feel fuller before I scarf down breakfast. But it also starts my day off with a little hydration; I used to go most of the day before remembering to fill up my water bottle. Now I know that I at least got one glass in, which seems to balance my system from the start.

This morning I began my day (after the water and the phone on airplane mode) with a very gentile hoop sequence. Starting in waist hooping, I brought the hoop down onto my hips and back. I repeated this several times, focusing on my breath. I spent about ten minutes simply enjoying the small nuances of the different motions required by my body to sustain the hoop in this manner. I did this with my eyes closed, and eventually was able to let my mind go blank.

These three additions to my morning routine have left me feeling very calm, and ready for the days challenges. They didn't take up a lot of time in my morning, but I can already feel a difference in my body; I feel calm and ready to receive today's challenges, rather than reacting to them.

Remember; Hooping is simple. You can make it as complex as you want to, and really challenge your body if you would like. But there is bliss in the mastery of simplicity, and waist hooping will always be available to you as the sort of "child's pose" to your practice.